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9th December
Dec. 9th, 2011 10:12 amIn our house, no Christmas stocking could possibly be complete without a bag of chocolate coins from Santa :-)
3rd December
Dec. 3rd, 2011 11:42 amEdmund Gonville, one of the founders of Gonville and Caius College.
1st December
Dec. 1st, 2011 07:33 amIt's December 1st, so as promised here's the first of my Christmas photos: as tradition in our house demands, a poinsettia brought into the house as the first little bit of Christmas. Enjoy!
Photographed using the Lensbaby, which makes for an interesting effect (not to everyone's taste, I know, but I love it).
Photographed using the Lensbaby, which makes for an interesting effect (not to everyone's taste, I know, but I love it).
Christmas photos
Nov. 28th, 2011 07:54 amFor a few years I had a project each Christmas where from December 1st through to 25th I posted one of my Christmas photos every day. Last year I didn't have time to take photos or sort them out, so I didn't do it. What with working full time now, I probably won't have much time this year, but I have a load of new folks on my friends list who haven't been subjected to my photos, so I think I'm going to recycle some of my favourites and do a Christmas pics posting series again this year. It'll make me feel good to see them again :)
Christmas pudding
Nov. 27th, 2011 07:48 pmFor posterity and future reference, here is my Christmas Pudding recipe.
This recipe came originally from an old British Gas recipe book that I found in a secondhand book box at a jumble sale run by my MIL. It makes a lovely fruity and not too stodgy pudding. The recipe says it serves 8-10 people (admittedly it is a rich dessert) but I make double this amount to feed this amount of people plus have enough left over for a small 'taster' pudding to have before Christmas (however I will admit to being a total piglet for Christmas pud!).
4oz(100g) raisins (if you can get the big juicy Lexia raisins, so much the better)
5oz (150g) currants
2oz (50g) sultanas
2oz (50g) chopped peel
4oz (100g) prepared apple (peeled, cored and chopped)
2oz (50g) brown sugar - I use dark muscovado
1.5oz(40g) shredded almonds
2.5oz (60g) breadcrumbs
2.5 oz (60g) plain flour
3 oz (75g) chopped vegetable suet
2 tsp (10 ml) mixed spice (a cinnamon/nutmeg etc mix, NOT curry spice!)
0.5 tsp (2.5 ml) salt
grated rind of half a lemon
2 eggs
2 tbsp (30ml) golden syrup
1 tbsp (15ml) black treacle
3 tbsp (45ml) milk
4 tbsp (60ml) Guinness, stout, or very dark ale
Put all the 'dry' ingredients in a large bowl (or bucket) and mix. Beat the eggs and add them, then add the syrup, treacle, milk and Guinness and mix well (remember to make a wish as you do so). Put into a well-greased pudding basin (1.5 pint), cover with greased greaseproof paper and then foil, and tie tightly with string. Steam for 6 hours. (After this the pudding can be stored for up to a couple of months to mature.) When re-heating, steam for a further 3 hours. Serve with cream (my preference) or brandy butter (if you have a really sweet tooth).
Traditionally we Brits pour a spoonful or two of brandy over the cooked pudding and set light to it as we bring it to the table. We also poke a coin into the pudding before serving (originally a sixpence, but now a fivepenny piece wrapped in foil for hygene purposes) - whoever finds it in their serving of pudding will have good luck in the new year.
This recipe came originally from an old British Gas recipe book that I found in a secondhand book box at a jumble sale run by my MIL. It makes a lovely fruity and not too stodgy pudding. The recipe says it serves 8-10 people (admittedly it is a rich dessert) but I make double this amount to feed this amount of people plus have enough left over for a small 'taster' pudding to have before Christmas (however I will admit to being a total piglet for Christmas pud!).
4oz(100g) raisins (if you can get the big juicy Lexia raisins, so much the better)
5oz (150g) currants
2oz (50g) sultanas
2oz (50g) chopped peel
4oz (100g) prepared apple (peeled, cored and chopped)
2oz (50g) brown sugar - I use dark muscovado
1.5oz(40g) shredded almonds
2.5oz (60g) breadcrumbs
2.5 oz (60g) plain flour
3 oz (75g) chopped vegetable suet
2 tsp (10 ml) mixed spice (a cinnamon/nutmeg etc mix, NOT curry spice!)
0.5 tsp (2.5 ml) salt
grated rind of half a lemon
2 eggs
2 tbsp (30ml) golden syrup
1 tbsp (15ml) black treacle
3 tbsp (45ml) milk
4 tbsp (60ml) Guinness, stout, or very dark ale
Put all the 'dry' ingredients in a large bowl (or bucket) and mix. Beat the eggs and add them, then add the syrup, treacle, milk and Guinness and mix well (remember to make a wish as you do so). Put into a well-greased pudding basin (1.5 pint), cover with greased greaseproof paper and then foil, and tie tightly with string. Steam for 6 hours. (After this the pudding can be stored for up to a couple of months to mature.) When re-heating, steam for a further 3 hours. Serve with cream (my preference) or brandy butter (if you have a really sweet tooth).
Traditionally we Brits pour a spoonful or two of brandy over the cooked pudding and set light to it as we bring it to the table. We also poke a coin into the pudding before serving (originally a sixpence, but now a fivepenny piece wrapped in foil for hygene purposes) - whoever finds it in their serving of pudding will have good luck in the new year.
Please, no
Oct. 3rd, 2011 07:18 pmI've just seen the first Christmas advert on the TV. And the village supermarket is selling Christmas-themed boxes of chocolates already.
It's the 3rd of October. We still have Halloween and Guy Fawkes to go yet before we should be starting to think about Christmas.
Unbelievable.
It's the 3rd of October. We still have Halloween and Guy Fawkes to go yet before we should be starting to think about Christmas.
Unbelievable.
Christmas puddings
Nov. 28th, 2010 11:35 amChristmas puddings made - only a week after Stir Up Sunday but still within November, so I guess that's alright :)
Out for our traditional family 5 km before breakfast on Christmas Day. First time we've run this with snow underfoot (patchy, slushy in places and icy in others, but snow nonetheless!) which made it a bit slower than usual, but good to be out all the same. And we saw another runner!
Snow village
Dec. 23rd, 2009 08:00 pmDD and I have been building a miniature snow village to decorate the newly-cleared shelf in the living room.
Out in the snow
Dec. 22nd, 2009 08:11 amAn almost magical walk around the village last night, delivering the last few Christmas cards to local friends. The snow was falling lightly, everything had that muffled quality you get in snow, and the light was that strange not-darkness you get after dark when the ground is snow-covered. Everybody has their Christmas lights up now that the day is so close, and as we rarely (almost never) get snow before Christmas here, to see the lights in the snow is a real treat. Truly festive!
